Alfred m



(No. Model.)

A. M. A. BEALE.

TELBPHONE SYSTEM.

No. 356,300. Pate'nted Jan. 1'8, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT Strona,

ALFRED M. A. BEALE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TELEPHONE sY'sTEM.

SPECIPIC'ATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 356,300, dated January 18, 1867.

Application filed October 31, 1885. Serial No. 181.440. (No model.) Patented in England November 9, 1885, No. 13,575; in France s November 30, 1885, No. 172,617, and in Belgium December 2, 1885, No. 71,066.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED M. A. BEALE, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Telephone Systems, of which the following is a specification. o

My invention has been patented to mein the following foreign countries, to wit: in France on the 30th day of November, 1885, Patent No. 172,617; `in Great Britain on the 9th day of November, 1885, Patent No. 13,575; in Belgium on the 2d day of December, 1885, Patent No. 71,066.

My invention relates to an apparat'us whereby I may carry into practical effect a new improvement in the art of telephony, which improveinent I have fully desoribed and clai med in another application for Letters Patent filed simultaueously herewith and serially numbered 181,639. The said improvement in the art is herein disclaimed. v I propose to convey telephonic signals, including articulate speech, between distant points by causing variations in the electrostatic state of a bodysuch as aline-wireextending between said points. I conduct no current whatever upon the line, but, on the contrary, the line is not in circuit with any source of electricity, being insulated at both ends.

My invention differs in principle materially from known systems of telephony, as follows:

First. The so-called Bell system involves two magneto-telephones in circuit with a line. No battery is here requisite, and hence normally there is no current on the line except when generated by the movement of the diaphragm of the transniitter.

Second. The variable resistance system, which involves a transniitter containi ng bodies of conducting material, through which a battery-current passes and becomes modified. Here there is a Constant current, upon which current are imposed variations or niodifications through the action of the electrodes controlled by the voice.

Third. In my invention I employ no dynaniic current upon the line, either permanent or temporary, although I may use a dynamic current to charge the line; but the variations I produce are variations in the condition of the body itself which forms the line-that is to say, I vary the electrostatio state of the line-conductor just as (to illustrate and assuming the possibility) I might vary its degree of temperature or vary its strength as a magnet. I do not Vary the condition of any current fiowing over the line. for no current'flows.

In the accompanyiug drawing, which is a diagrammatic view, A,represeuts the mainline conductor. The terminals of this conductor are connected, respectively, to the plate B of the condenser O and the plate D of the condenser E. The opposing plateB' of the condenser Cis connected to ground by the wire F, and the' opposing plate D' of the condenser E is similurly connected by the wire G to' densers, there exists between the plates B and B' and D and D' a layer of dielectric or insu-l lating material, that the entire line-Wire A is insulated, and that hence no direct dynamic current can either pass upon or from it, nor can any such current' circulate therein, inasmuch as said wire A is not a part ot a circnit capable of conducting such a current. If, now, a charge of electricity be conducted to the plate D' of the condenser E, this plate will become statically charged, and will induce a corresponding charge upon the opposite plate, D, across the intervening dielectric, and inasmuch as the line-wire A is substantially part of the plate D, said charge will also be induced on said wire and the plate B of the condenser O. The charge induced upon the plate B will in turn indnoea corresponding charge upon the plate B', which communicates with ground.r

As long as the original inducing-charge is maintained on the plate D' of condenser E for so long will the condition of affairs above set forth continue; and if this charge is supplied by a galvanic battery the wire will, other things being equal, remain in, its charged state so long as this battery-current 'remains constant. If, however, the inducing-charge is not IOO constant, but variable, then the induced charge on the line Will, in like manner, vary, and hence by controlling and Varying the Character of the indncing-eharge I can correspondingly control and vary the electrostatic condition of the line. t

H is a telephone-transmittcr containing eleetrodes and of any known construction, which I arrange With a battery in the closed local circuit I. Said circuit includes the primary J of an induetion-coil, the secondary K of Which eoil is in communication at one end With Wire G Vand at the other end With the earth.

Vhen speech is uttered before the transmitter H, the battery-current in the local ci rcuit I is modified, and in proportion to the Variations of strength of said current indnced charges of high potential are generated upon the secondary K. These induced charges charge the condenser E, and hence the line A. Inasinuch as the current in the local primary circuit I Will eorrespondin its characteristics to the rate, alnplitude, and frequency of the sound-Waves which modify the current through the-agency of the transmitter, so Will the eurrent thus Varied in turn induce a charge of eleetrieity on the secondary Wire K, which Will charge the condenser, and hence the line, at a rate With a frequency and to an extent corresponding to the original sound-vibrations. \Vhen, however, the current in the local circuit I ceases, then whatever charge has aecumulated on plate D disappears by reason of the earth-connection. I thns obtain a line varying in electrostatic state or condition eorrespondingly to the sound-Waves affecting the transmitter, and the variations in the electrical condition of theline Will induce corresponding variations in the electrical condition of the plate B' of the condenser O, and hence of the Wire F, communicating from said plate B' to ground. It remains then to connect a receiving-telephoue, N, to the Wire F,'

and this I prefer to do by attaehing said Wire to one end oi a eoil, L, which coil forms the secondary Wire of an indnctorinin, oif which the primary Wire M is in a local cireuit, I, With the receiver N. The other end of eoil L conneets to groumil.

In practice, in order that a transmitter and a receiver may exist on each end of the line, I arrange the transmitter in local circuit and the receiver in shunt-circuit therefrom, as in4 dicated at H I-I' and N N'.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination ofa main line connected at each end to an induction-plate, inductionplates in induetive proximity to but separated bya dieleetricfrom said tirst-inentioned plates, conductors connecting said last nientioned plates to ground, the secondary eoil of an inductorium in each of said conductors, a local crcuit containing` a telephonetransmitter, a source of electrieity, and the primary eoil of one of said im'luetoriums, and a local cirenit containing` the primary oi' the other of said inductoriums and a receiving-telephone, substant ially asdescribed.

2. The combination ofamain line connected at each end to an induction'plate, inductionplates in induetive proximi ty to but separated by a dielectric from said first mentioned plates, eonductors connecting said last-metr tioned plates to ground, the secondary eoil of an indnctorium interposed in each of said conductors, and two local circuits, each respectively containing the primary coil of one of said i-nductoriums, a source of eleetricity, a transmitting-telephone, and in shunt-circuit a receiving tclephone, substantially as de- Scribcd.

A. M. A. BEALE.

y Witnesses:

WM. H. SIEGMAN, DANIEL l'I. DniscoLL. 

